The National Weather Service announced Monday it’s updating its maps, forecasts, and weather products to reflect a new name for Lake Ontario: Lake America. AccuWeather confirmed the following day that it will use the same name, citing standards set by the U.S. Board on Geographic Names. Apple Maps and Google Maps had already made the switch shortly after President Trump signed an executive order on August 27 directing the Interior Department to implement the change within 30 days.
This isn’t the first time a major geographic feature has been renamed under this administration. Earlier this year, the Gulf of Mexico officially became the Gulf of America on U.S. maps and forecasts. That change, like this one, happened quickly across federal agencies and private companies.
What makes the Lake Ontario situation different is that the lake is shared with Canada. Canadian officials and residents haven’t adopted the new name, and it remains unclear how the change will affect international cooperation on weather forecasting, shipping, and environmental monitoring across the Great Lakes. For those of us on the Suncoast, it’s a reminder that place names carry history, identity, and sometimes a little controversy. What do you think — should shared waterways get renamed by one country alone? Let us know in the comments.
